Red Wine
by greysfan16
Summary: Jackson goes over to Mark's house to get help with studying for his boards.They both get far more than they had expected.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Thank you to BMShipper for igniting the Mark/Jackson in me.**

Red Wine

Jackson wasn't sure how he knew where Mark's apartment was. He just knew that he needed some help with studying for the boards. He hadn't realized exactly how behind he was until he had talked to the other residents. He swung by the store and picked up a bottle of wine. He found himself really caring about the kind of wine that he bought. He found himself standing in the hallway knocking on Mark's apartment door.

Mark had nothing planned for the evening. Julia had cancelled on him in favor of a surgery. So his big date was now with Sofia. Of course he loved spending time with his beautiful daughter, but he was disappointed that his plans didn't pan out like he had planned. Sofia was sitting contentedly in his arms when he heard a knock at the door. Still holding her, Mark went to the door and when he opened it, he was surprised to see Jackson Avery on the other side.

"Avery?" Mark asked. He was confused now.

"Look I am behind in studying for the boards. Could you, maybe, help me study?" Jackson asked. He was hesitant to ask Mark but he knew he needed the help.

"How much did you pay for that wine Avery?" Mark asked. He knew that he needed company tonight and Jackson's company was certainly better than the company of a lot of other people. Plus he really didn't need his resident being the only one not to pass his boards. That would not reflect well on him.

"Fifty bucks." Jackson told Mark. Mark nodded and opened the door wider. Smiling thankfully, Jackson came into Mark's apartment. Mark put Sofia in her pack and play by the couch. Jackson made his way to the kitchen area.

"Wineglasses?" Jackson asked.

"Third cupboard from the fridge." Mark told him without even looking away from Sofia. Jackson pulled the glasses down just as Mark looked up from the baby. Mark wished he could explain that feeling in his stomach as he looked at Jackson. Mark made his way into the kitchen area and pulled out the corkscrewer from one of the drawers near Jackson's waist. Mark handed it to Jackson with a small smirk

"I was about to ask you where that was." Jackson told Mark as he flashed Mark one of those easy smiles.

"Well I found it for you." Mark told Jackson as he put it in Jackson's hand. He tried to ignore that spark that he felt when his hand touched Jackson's. It was Valentine's Day. That's why he was feeling a spark with Jackson Avery. That had to be the only reason. Right? Jackson poured Mark a glass of red wine and then he poured himself one.

The two of them settled on the couch where Mark quizzed him for the better part of an hour. They spent the next hour or so talking about the things Jackson missed and Mark made him elaborate on the things that he had gotten right. Mark only vaguely realized that they just kept getting closer and closer with every question. Jackson's hand was now on Mark's leg. When Mark first noticed that he jumped slightly.

"Oh shit I'm sorry." Jackson very quickly apologized. His caramel colored skin now had a pinkish tint to it.

"No need to apologize." Mark told him. His voice was now huskier than it usually was. He would have loved to blame it on the wine, but he was starting to suspect that it was probably because of the younger man who was wearing jeans and a grey long sleeve shirt and was sitting right next to him.

"Mark?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah?" Mark asked as he absently ran his hand down Jackson's arm. Instead of words, Jackson decided to act on his feelings. He leaned in and kissed Mark softly on the lips. Jackson was expecting Mark to pull away, but he didn't. He kissed Jackson back. Jackson wasn't going to worry about over-analyzing what was going on between them. Soon there was not much room between them. Mark was kissing Jackson and Jackson wanted nothing more than to take Mark's t-shirt off of his body and run his hands down his chest.

Just then someone knocked on the door. Jackson used this excuse to go to the bathroom and probably freak out over the fact he just kissed his mentor. Mark answered the door and it was Lexie with Zola on her hip.

"Is this a bad time? I just I had things I needed to say to you and I thought Zola could play with Sofia." Lexie rambled. Mark thought she sounded jittery and nervous.

"Well…" Mark hedged. He wanted to go back to Jackson. He wanted to go back to that moment that he had just shared with the resident. Mark hadn't expected to do…well what he and Jackson had been doing. He was rattled with the realization that he wanted to do it again.

"Mark? Who's at the door?" Jackson called from the hallway. Jackson was convinced that he had never had this type of connection with anyone before. It was scary to realize that he desperately wanted Mark to tell Lexie to leave so that he and Mark could return to what they were doing.

"Oh shit, is that Julia? I'll go." Lexie told him hurriedly. Lexie definitely didn't want Julia to overhear what she wanted to talk to Mark about.

Just then Jackson appeared in the main living area. Now Lexie was confused. Especially when she saw the look on Jackson's face. He was actually enamored with Mark and Lexie would be shocked if Mark didn't feel the same way. She was gifted with the ability to read people quite well and she knew Jackson was crazy about Mark just by looking him in the eye. Mark could barely look her in the eye. Every time he did, his face flushed.

"We were kinda in the middle of something." Mark told her apologetically. Lexie nodded slowly. She didn't need to be told exactly what they were in the middle of. Just by looking at Jackson, she knew.

"Okay, well have a good night." Lexie told them both a little too cheerily. Mark sighed when he shut the door. He was relieved that she was gone. He could go back to kissing Jackson now. He turned around and Jackson was studying him from behind the kitchen counter.

"You kicked her out." Jackson commented with a small smile crossing his lips. He had a feeling he knew why Mark had done that and privately he was surprised. He hadn't expected Mark to feel what he was feeling.

"I did." Mark confirmed. His voice was still husky as he made his way over to where Jackson was standing.

"Why?" Jackson asked. His voice became dry as he waited for Mark to answer his question. He was almost afraid to hear what Mark had to say. He wished he could blame this night on the wine that they had been drinking but he couldn't. He knew that there was something between them and the wine just helped them explore it. Mark moved around the corner of the counter and then he spoke.

"So I could do this." Mark then tilted Jackson's chin upwards and Mark's lips crashed down on his lips. Jackson could barely think when Mark's lips were on his, but he was vividly aware of his heart racing. Jackson's hands roamed Mark's back. He had never wanted anyone or anything more than he wanted Mark right now. Jackson finally had to pull away from Mark's lips so he could breathe. Mark didn't let go of him though.

"What about Sofia?" Jackson asked breathlessly.

"She's asleep." Mark whispered, his lips hovering just over Jackson's own lips.

"Kiss me again." Jackson murmured.

"Gladly." Mark murmured back before he once again claimed Jackson's lips with his own lips. Kissing Jackson left Mark dizzy. He could hardly believe he was standing in his kitchen kissing Jackson Avery. Finally Mark pulled away. This time both men were breathless. Jackson's arms were around Mark's waist and Mark's hands were on Jackson's back.

"Bedroom?" Jackson murmured. He needed Mark. Mark's kisses had turned him on in a way he had never been turned on before.

"I thought you'd never ask." Mark teased. Jackson laughed and then slapped Mark's arm. This time Jackson kissed Mark. Jackson knew that without the wine in his system he would never have had the courage to kiss Mark. Jackson

"Bedroom now." Mark mumbled against Jackson's lips. Jackson didn't even know where Mark's bedroom was, but apparently he was supposed to lead him there. Both men were vividly aware of t-shirts and long sleeve shirts being discarded as they stumbled into Mark's bedroom. That night was definitely going to be the start of something amazing between them.


	2. The Morning After

**A/N I was asked to do a follow up on this one. Here it is and I hope you like it.**

The Morning After

Mark had a hard time opening his eyes the next morning. He had a blinding headache that felt similar to a hangover but he didn't remember drinking all that much last night. In fact he didn't remember much of last night at all. At this very moment he became aware of an arm slung across his waist. His pulse quickened. He didn't remember being intimate with anyone last night. He took a breath and let it out before he looked over at his bedmate to see who exactly was sharing his bed. It was a shock to the system when he realized that his bedmate was none other than Jackson Avery.

When he caught sight of Avery's long eyelashes, Mark resisted the urge to groan. Everything was rushing back from last night. Jackson had come over and had asked Mark to help him study for the boards. Mark was almost positive that Jackson had brought wine with him, probably as a bribe. Mark shook his head slightly and tried to sit up. He couldn't believe that he had gotten himself into this predicament. He vaguely remembered touching…a lot of touching. He wasn't quite sure if they had had sex though. It didn't look good with them both in bed together though.

Jackson was asleep but he began to wake up once he felt the bed move. He opened an eye and at first he wasn't sure where he was. He knew he wasn't at home. His arm was slung over something. Something clicked in his mind and he saw bare skin. He forced himself to wake up a little more and when his blue eyes focused on his boss' face, he froze. In that moment things came rushing back. Jackson couldn't believe he had slept with his boss.

"Oh no." Jackson mumbled as he kept his eyes on Mark. Jackson could hardly believe that he had gotten himself in this position.

"Apparently so." Mark replied with a look of disbelief on his face. He could hardly believe that this had happened between himself and his student.

"We…We did it, didn't we?" Jackson asked hesitantly. It certainly looks suspicious and Jackson was sure that Mark would likely confirm it.

"If you mean we had sex, then yes it looks like it. You aren't in junior high anymore Avery .You can say sex without cringing." Mark told him with a slight grin crossing his lips. He knew that Jackson was mortified that he had slept with his boss. Mark blamed himself for this happening last night. He really should have shot Jackson down and instead it seemed as though he had encouraged it. Mark wished that he understood why he had encouraged it. It wasn't like he enjoyed it. Maybe he did enjoy sex with Jackson and he was just too embarrassed to admit it to anyone. Right now his mind was swirling with possibilities that could answer the question of why Mark had allowed it to get so far.

"Damn that wine." Jackson muttered to himself. He was once again convinced that it was the red wine's fault that this had happened.

"I'm pretty sure we didn't drink that much." Mark told Jackson.

"Then how the hell did this happen?" Jackson demanded, gesturing between himself and the slightly older doctor. Mark shrugged, not knowing exactly what to say to calm Jackson down. He seemed very agitated which surprised Mark. Maybe it was simply the situation that had agitated him.

Just then, Mark heard Sofia cooing and he realized that she had slept in her pack and play all night. He now felt like the world's worst father for allowing her to sleep in that pack and play all night when she had her own crib at his house. He shot a quick look at Jackson before he spoke.

"I'm getting up. Don't look."

Jackson rolled his eyes at Mark. Hadn't they just spent the night together. Weren't they both still naked? Jackson was pretty sure that they didn't need to be too concerned with modesty anymore. He closed his eyes without arguing so that Mark could got get up and walk over to where his boxers were that had somehow ended up across the room.

"Okay you can open your eyes now." Mark told Jackson as he headed out of his bedroom and into the living room. He picked up Sofia and went into the living room where he saw two wineglasses, both still half filled. Mark looked at the wine bottle and he was surprised to see that they hadn't even drunk half of the bottle. Damn, that meant that everything that had happened last night could not be classified as a drunken one night stand.

While Mark was tending to his daughter and coming to the realization that last night had not been the result of being drunk, Jackson was putting his clothes on. Or at least he was trying to put his clothes on. He couldn't find his long sleeve grey shirt that he had worn over last night. He walked out into the living room where Mark was still standing with a wine bottle in one hand and Sofia on his other hip.

"We only had a glass and a half each Jackson." Mark told him before the wine bottle was put back down on the coffee table.

"What are you trying to say?" Jackson asked. He had momentarily forgotten that he was shirtless. He was too busy trying to concentrate on what Mark was saying.

"Last night wasn't a result of being drunk." Mark tried to explain. Mark was trying his best not to focus on the fact that Jackson was shirtless. That was harder than he thought it would be. He couldn't get the images from last night out of his mind. The images of kissing Jackson by the kitchen counter. He remembered how turned on he had been when Jackson had demanded that Mark kiss him again.

"Then why did it happen?" Jackson demanded. He was angry. Angry at himself for making that first move. Angry at his boss for not ending it before it went further.

"How the hell should I know? You were the one who kissed me first." Mark pointed out. Jackson shuffled his feet nervously. He really wasn't sure what to say to that. He didn't want to start an argument with his boss. Not when he still needed Mark's help to pass his boards. So when he spoke, his voice was softer than how he really felt.

"Why did you kiss me back then?"

Mark wished he could answer this one but he couldn't He didn't really know why he kissed Jackson back. He wasn't sure what would be easier on both of them. Having feelings for each other or not having feelings for each other at all. Mark wasn't sure what he was feeling except for confusion. They hadn't been drunk and yet they had still kissed and had from what Mark remembered pretty great sex.

"I don't know." Mark finally managed to spit out.

Jackson was disappointed. He wished Mark had an answer for his question. It was clear to Jackson that Mark was feeling the same confusion that he was feeling. Mark kept his eyes on Jackson's face until Sofia began squirming in Mark's arms. Mark knew she was hungry. It was time for the one year old's breakfast

"You do realize you are shirtless." Mark pointed out as he made his way to the refrigerator to pull out Sofia's breakfast.

"You do realize you still only have your boxers on." Jackson countered with a barely concealed smirk crossing his lips. Mark had been so focused on Sofia and figuring out if he had had drunken sex with his student that he didn't even realize how devoid of clothing he was. He handed the squirming one year old to Jackson along with her mashed bananas that she started with every morning.

"Let me go get dressed. You feed her and maybe I'll find your shirt." Mark told Jackson. It could almost be classified as flirting but Mark didn't flirt with guys. He wasn't into guys. He guessed he could only convince himself of so much without being accused of lying. Jackson couldn't tell if Mark was trying to flirt with him or not. It didn't seem like it but maybe Mark was struggling with the flirting thing just like Jackson was struggling with this whole scenario.

Jackson Avery had never fed a baby before. He was an only child and his mother was an only child. His father was not around at all. So when he put one year old Sofia in her high chair, he wasn't sure that this whole feeding a baby thing was going to go well. He was convinced that he would end up with pureed bananas all over him. Thankfully he was still shirtless and hopefully Mark would let him use the shower.

Mark had finally gotten dressed but he couldn't find Jackson's shirt anywhere. He swore he was looking in all the usual places. He even looked in the doorway between his bedroom and the rest of the apartment because he was sure that Jackson's shirt had come off before they were even in bed together. He walked back into the main living area and smiled when he saw Sofia eating her bananas for Jackson. She didn't eat those for everyone. As a matter of fact, Jackson was the first non-family member that Sofia had eaten for. Even Julia couldn't get her to eat the bananas.

"You know, you are the first person not in her family that has gotten her to eat the bananas." Mark remarked as he made his way to the kitchen to start his coffee. Jackson was surprised about that. He knew that Mark had been seeing that Julia woman from Seattle Pres and he also knew that she had been over here a lot.

"Not even Julia?" Jackson asked. Immediately he regretted saying the name that they had avoided saying since before anything happened. He knew Mark's reputation and he also knew that Mark had been working to change it. The only person who had mentioned Julia's name last night was Lexie when she had stopped by looking all jittery and nervous.

"I swore I wouldn't cheat on her and I did." Mark realized suddenly. He was already shaking his head in dismay. He couldn't believe he had cheated on another woman. He had sworn to himself that he was past this. He had made a commitment to stop the cheating and to just get out of the relationship the honest way if it wasn't right. Not only had he let Julia down, he had let himself down as well.

"No one has to know." Jackson told him quietly. If Mark wanted to keep this a secret, Jackson would do it even if it would make him feel like a dirty secret. He could tell that Mark was upset and now he suspected Mark was upset with himself for doing what they had done last night.

"I know Jackson. I know what I did and I can barely look at myself right now." Mark countered. He was ashamed that he had cheated on Julia. She was a lovely woman and given time, Mark could see himself falling in love with her, marrying her and having kids with her. But the problem was, she was no longer who he wanted. He didn't even want to be with Lexie anymore.

Quite truthfully Mark wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. All he knew was that he didn't feel ashamed for what had transpired between him and Jackson last night even though he knew he should. He was ashamed that he had cheated on Julia, but he didn't regret the thing with Jackson. That realization scared him more than anything. He watched Jackson with Sofia and he had to smile again. Sofia clearly liked Jackson. When Sofia had come along Mark had insisted that he would never again seriously date someone who his daughter didn't like. So far he had been lucky. Sofia liked Julia but clearly not as much as she liked Jackson.

"So did you find my shirt?" Jackson asked as he looked away from Sofia and up at Mark. Clearly he wanted to get Mark's mind off of the fact that he had cheated on Julia.

"Sorry it seems to have disappeared into thin air." Mark told him. He found that he was not that sorry at all. It gave him license to look at Jackson without being too obvious.

"Your place is not that big." Jackson pointed out. He got the distinct impression that Mark was enjoying looking at him and that made him smirk just a tiny bit. He knew that getting Mark to admit that he was checking his student out was going to be nearly impossible.

"I blame Sofia." Mark commented before he headed into the kitchen to pour his coffee.

"Right, blame a baby who was sound asleep in her pack and play until this morning. Never mind that she can't even walk yet." Jackson countered. He watched Mark pour coffee and he recalled the night before when he had demanded that Mark kiss him again. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he remembered how much he had enjoyed kissing his boss. He dropped his head and waited for the telltale sign to fade.

"Well who else should I blame?" Mark asked as he poured a second cup of coffee, this one was for Jackson.

"Yourself, maybe?" Jackson suggested. He was trying so hard to get Mark to admit to enjoying last night. Mark made his way to the counter and he handed Jackson his coffee. He already knew how Jackson took his coffee because they had been working together for awhile. Jackson was finally able to lift up his head and look at Mark once he felt the heat disappear from his cheeks.

"I guess I could have stopped it." Mark murmured. His eyes had found Jackson's crystal blue eyes and he found himself struggling to focus on anything else. He couldn't believe that Jackson had gotten to him. Mark had no idea how this had happened. He was never supposed to need or want Jackson Avery like this. Professionally they were very much in sync. But personally, Mark didn't understand how this could have happened between them. If Jackson was interested in him, why hadn't he confessed it to Mark before now?

"But you didn't want to." Jackson finished quietly. There Jackson had spoken what he believed was true. Jackson knew that Mark was embarrassed that he had wanted what had happened last night.

"I guess not." Mark admitted quietly. He could barely believe what he was admitting to. He couldn't believe that he had just admitted to not wanting to stop what had happened between himself and his student last night.

"You threw Lexie out and then you kissed me again." Jackson reminded him.

"I did and I don't regret that for a second." Mark admitted. Maybe that was why neither of them could make things work with Lexie. It was because they were somehow supposed to end up together. Now, Mark wasn't sure he wanted any sort of** us** with Jackson, but he didn't want to use the younger man for sex only either. That wouldn't be fair to him.

"Kiss me." Jackson challenged the older doctor quietly. He wasn't sure if Mark would do it because he wasn't really certain what Mark wanted to have happen between them.

"You're feeding my daughter." Mark pointed out. He was trying to give himself a few more seconds to figure out what he really wanted to do.

"She's done." Jackson countered. Indeed Sofia had just finished the last bit of mashed bananas and was clearly itching to get down from her high chair.

"I can't Jackson. I just can't…" Mark told him hesitantly. Mark was lying a big fat lie and he suspected that Jackson could tell.

"You can't or you won't?" Jackson shot back. He suspected that Mark wanted to but that he was reluctant to blur the lines between teacher and student a second time.

"Both." Mark's voice was barely at a whisper when he spoke that one word. Up until last night he had never even though of Jackson in that way. Now he couldn't help but think of him in that way. Mark suspected that last night definitely had changed some things between them. Problem was, he suspected that Jackson was interested in him and Mark still couldn't figure out exactly what he wanted to have happen with Jackson. He couldn't get things right with women so maybe that was telling him something.

"You know you could just admit that you want to kiss me again. That would eliminate a lot of argument." Jackson told him. His voice now held a teasing note to it as he locked eyes onto his boss' face.

"I could huh?" Mark teased. He found it was easier than expected to tease Jackson. He wasn't sure why though. Actually yes he was sure why but he was too busy trying to ignore how he felt whenever Jackson looked at him. As he stared at his student Mark realized something. He was interested in Jackson in a very non-platonic way. He watched Jackson clean Sofia up and lift her out of the high chair and he found himself wanting to kiss Jackson. Watching him take care of Sofia was both endearing and sexy if that was even possible.

"Yeah and judging by your face right now, you want to." Jackson told him. Jackson too was surprised at how easy it was to tease his boss. Jackson hadn't expected last night to happen and he certainly didn't expect to be here, in his boss' apartment this morning. Jackson carefully put a still squirming Sofia down on the floor because he needed to have his arms full just in case Mark got over whatever was stopping him from making a move.

"You a face reader now?" Mark asked with an eyebrow raised slightly. As soon as he spoke Mark found himself thinking _what the hell is a face reader? _It certainly wasn't anything Mark had ever heard of.

"Nah I can just tell that you are fighting yourself." Jackson told Mark. Jackson wished he knew why Mark was so hesitant this morning. Especially when there had been absolutely no hesitation on Mark's part last night. Jackson sensed that there was a mutual interest and yet Mark hadn't made a move yet.

"I am your teacher Jackson." Mark pointed out. He knew that it was pointless to remind Jackson of that, but Mark was trying to put up any sort of roadblock to whatever this was between them. Mark was filled with an unusual feeling of fear. He had never been afraid like this before but he had also never felt anything romantic for a man before.

"That didn't seem like a concern last night." Jackson reminded Mark. In fact if Jackson remembered last night correctly, Mark had kissed Jackson back.

"But it is now." Mark countered. He had seen the flack that residents like Meredith and Cristina had gone through when they dated and then later married their bosses and teachers. He didn't want Jackson to have to deal with that.

"You are worried that people will think that you are showing favoritism to me." Jackson realized as he locked his eyes onto Mark's face. He hadn't even given that a second thought. Now he understood Mark's hesitancy. However Jackson would be taking his boards soon and then he would no longer be a resident.

"Yes." Was the simple one word answer that Mark gave him. Mark knew that the younger man would eventually hit on the reason why Mark was hesitating. Of course Mark didn't want to hesitate because he was interested in Jackson but watching the other residents deal with crap for dating their boss was enough for Mark to resist, at least temporarily.

"But I won't be your student for much longer." Jackson pointed out. He hoped that bringing up the fact that he wouldn't be Mark's student much longer would change the older man's mind about the two of them.

"True." Mark replied thoughtfully. He hadn't even thought about that. Jackson would be taking his boards in a few months and then he would be an attending like Mark and therefore no longer Mark's student. Mark was feeling his resolve slip just a little bit.

"That changes things, doesn't it?" Jackson inquired as he looked at Mark. He could tell that the other man's resolve was slipping and Jackson knew why.

"I think so." Mark confessed to Jackson. In just a few short months they wouldn't have the whole teacher-student thing hanging over their heads. They could just… be. What they would be, Mark wasn't sure yet but he did know that there was a mutual attraction between them. He did know that watching Jackson with Sofia this morning had turned him on. Watching Jackson try to talk him into admitting his attraction was endearing. Mark had some sort of thing for Jackson. He wasn't sure exactly what he felt for the younger man but he did know he felt something. Something that he knew he shouldn't feel but something that felt strangely…right.

"Kiss me." Jackson challenged again. Jackson suspected that this time, Mark wouldn't resist. This time Mark would respond in exactly the way Jackson wanted and needed him to. Mark didn't kiss him. He didn't even move closer to Jackson. Jackson was surprised that Mark was still resisting him and this. He didn't understand why Mark was fighting this. Yes Jackson was scared out of his mind to want Mark, but he was willing, more than willing to try and make this thing between them work out.

"I can't. I want to but I can't. Not until I end things with Julia. As much as I hate this, I need to officially end it with her before I kiss you the way you deserve to be kissed." Mark finally told Jackson. He had already cheated on Julia last night but now that he knew he wanted Jackson, he felt that the right thing to do was end things with Julia before he continued this thing with Jackson.

"You didn't seem to give a damn about Julia when you were sticking your tongue down my throat last night." Jackson muttered.

"Dammit Jackson I'm trying to do the right thing here. In the past I would have continued seeing Julia even while I was seeing you. I'm not that guy anymore. I'm trying to be a better person. I have to do this. Julia is a wonderful woman and she deserves the truth." Mark responded, being careful not to raise his voice which would alarm Sofia.

"What the hell is the truth then? You kiss me back last night and then we have what I believe was pretty phenomenal sex and now you won't even kiss me even though I know you want to." Jackson was getting annoyed. Yes he respected Mark for wanting to end things with Julia first, but that definitely didn't mean that he wasn't annoyed.

"Truth is that I think we could make this work and I want to be able to go into this with a clean slate. Relationships that start off as an affair rarely go the distance. Trust me, I know." Mark told Jackson with a sigh. Mark knew what he was talking about. None of his relationships that had started from affairs had lasted.

"I guess that's fair." Jackson murmured. Now he felt guilty. He didn't know Julia at all but he did know that Mark had liked her and that he had been hoping that they could turn into something a bit more serious. Jackson knew that Mark had a rather ugly reputation when it came to his women, but none of that mattered to Jackson. Jackson believed that people could change.

"Now I am going to go talk to Julia. Would you mind hanging around with Sofia? Callie or Arizona should be over in about an hour to pick her up." Mark told Jackson. Mark hoped that Jackson wouldn't mind hanging out with Sofia. He needed to go talk to Julia and tell her that there was someone else. There was no way he was going to tell her specifically who that someone else was, but she needed to know that it was over between them.

"I can stay with Sofia." Jackson agreed with a slight nod in Mark's direction. He wasn't quite sure what he would say to Callie or Arizona when they came by to pick Sofia up. Jackson knew that either of them would likely wonder why he was in Mark's apartment in the morning. Especially when his gray long sleeved shirt was nowhere to be found. He was a little surprised that Mark hadn't given a little more thought to what he had asked Jackson to do.

"Thanks." Mark murmured. He knew he was doing the right thing but it didn't make him feel any better. He should have ended things with Julia before he had started anything with Jackson Avery.

"Go talk to her." Jackson encouraged the older man with a small smile crossing his lips. Mark smirked in Jackson's direction as he headed towards the door. He had just seen Jackson's shirt and it was hanging off a lamp. Jackson walked over to where Mark stood now with his hand on the doorknob. He ached to just throw the older and probably stronger man against the door and kiss him with all the pent up energy he was feeling. He resisted the urge to even touch Mark because he knew that would delay Mark's plan to let Julia know that it was over between them and Jackson wanted Mark to be able to do that.

"Your shirt is on the lamp." Mark told Jackson before he headed out the door. Jackson looked where Mark had said it was and he smiled ruefully. There was that damn shirt. He didn't understand how they hadn't seen it earlier. He closed the front door and then he crossed the room and slipped it back on his body. He turned his attention to Sofia who was happily playing on the floor with her toys.

In the last hour Jackson's anxiety had only risen. He had handed Sofia off to a very confused Callie Torres about fifteen minutes earlier and now he was pacing around Mark's apartment. He had explained to Callie that he was there so that Mark could help him study, but Jackson was almost positive that Callie hadn't bought that excuse. She had looked at him knowingly and Jackson hoped that whatever she was thinking, she would keep to herself.

So when Mark opened the door to the apartment all he saw was Jackson walking around in circles. It kind of looked like he was pacing but Mark wasn't quite sure why he was pacing. He didn't know what Jackson had to be anxious about. Jackson looked at him and Mark was startled by the look in his eyes. He was annoyed and maybe even a little pissed.

"I just had a very awkward encounter with another boss of mine by the name of Callie Torres." Jackson practically spat out.

Mark realized instantly why Jackson was freaking out. It hadn't even occurred to him how this would look to Callie. After all it was still early in the morning and Jackson was here at his apartment watching Sofia.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even realize how this would look to her." Mark told Jackson. He was truly sorry for putting Jackson in what had to have been a very awkward position.

"I told her I was here studying for the boards and that you had gone to go get some 'brain food' for me to eat before we started." Jackson told Mark. Saying it out loud to Mark only made the explanation sound weaker.

"And she bought that?" Mark demanded incredulously. Mark knew that Callie was smart. Too smart to have bought that weak excuse.

"Nah I'm pretty sure she didn't." Jackson told Mark with a slight shake of his head. For the first time since Mark had come back, Jackson realized that he looked happy. The resident guessed that, that meant that Julia had taken the breakup well, but he was reluctant to bring it up.

"Julia knew there was someone else. She asked if I cheated and I said yes. She then said that this person, whoever they are must be really great. She kissed me on the cheek and then I left." Mark explained to Jackson. Jackson wasn't sure if he was more surprised that Julia took it well or more surprised that Mark had confessed that he cheated on her.

"So you're free." Jackson murmured as his eyes once again found Mark's lips.

"I'm free." Mark whispered. Now Mark felt truly able to kiss Jackson in the way that he deserved. Jackson moved closer to the slightly older man. He wasn't going to ask Mark to kiss him again, he was just going to kiss Mark in the way he had wanted to all morning. Thankfully Jackson wasn't much shorter than Mark, so when he brushed his lips across Mark's, he didn't have to stand on his tiptoes or anything.

Jackson didn't have to wait long for Mark to deepen the kiss. He seemed to need Jackson's lips on his just as much as the resident needed his lips on the attending.

"So we're…a thing now?" Jackson murmured into the kiss.

"Shut up Jackson." Mark insisted. Mark really didn't think they needed to talk right now. There would be time again for talking later. Right now they were just going to do. Jackson sighed into the kiss. Finally Mark was kissing him again and it felt exactly as it had felt last night when their lips had first met. At the time, Jackson had been scared to death to kiss Mark because he didn't know how Mark felt about him. Now he knew and now he also knew that this wouldn't be just a brief fling. Neither of them could be sure where this would lead but right now that was the furthest thing from their minds. All that mattered was the here and now.

When they pulled away, Mark looked at him. He knew that he wanted more than just sex with Jackson. So he knew that they would not be having sex this morning. He didn't want to repeat his previous relationship patterns. He wanted this thing with Jackson to be something that would last and if they started this new thing between them with sex, Mark was worried it wouldn't last.

"As much as I want to take you to bed right now, I think that if we are going to have any shot at making this work, we have to go slowly." Mark told Jackson. He was worried about the younger man's response. He didn't want to disappoint Jackson but he also didn't want to rush into sex even though technically that was no longer unchartered territory between them.

"I think you may be right on that." Jackson agreed. As much as he wanted to revisit last night in it's entirety, Jackson suspected that his teacher…no boyfriend, no…Mark was right. Jackson wasn't even sure what to call Mark now. Calling him, his teacher made Jackson feel dirty and not the good kind of dirty either. Jackson also suspected that it was too early to call Mark his boyfriend. So for now he would just call him Mark.

"So how about I kiss you and then we'll actually get some work done." Mark suggested as his slate colored eyes left Jackson's face momentarily to look at the couch where everything had started.

"Sounds good." Jackson agreed. He really did need help on his boards and now that he was finally on the same page with Mark, studying for the boards would be easier because he wouldn't have his feelings for Mark distracting him.

"Good." Mark murmured before he tilted Jackson's chin upwards slightly and he kissed him. The kiss was soft at first but unlike last time, it was Jackson that deepened it. Jackson's hands ran down Mark's clothed back. Mark drew circles on Jackson's back with his fingers. That alone was enough to drive Jackson insane. He needed Mark and yet he didn't want to mess this up. So he pulled away.

"If I didn't pull away, I don't think I could have stopped myself." Jackson admitted softly. He had seen the confused look on Mark's face when he had pulled away and so he had hastened to explain himself.

"Good call." Mark murmured, though he longed to keep kissing his resident. Jackson headed over to the couch and made himself comfortable. He knew that this was going to be a long day of studying for his boards. Maybe having Mark as his tutor would actually be more distracting? Jackson wasn't sure.

When Mark joined him on the couch, sitting closer to him than he had sat last night when they had just began the study session, Jackson suspected that having Mark as his tutor would be more distracting but he really did need Mark's help so he decided not to say anything as they settled in for what ended up being a full day of studying. Jackson's study breaks were filled with what could only be considered mini makeout sessions.

Both men knew that the minute Jackson passed his boards, they would be free to be together in public without any sort of reprecussions from the hospital. That was their goal. That was why they were going to work hard at this. Mark was going to teach him all he knew about plastic surgery, though he suspected Jackson knew most of it already. And Jackson was going to soak it all up like a sponge and try not to allow Mark to distract him. Both men hoped that their goal would be met in just a few short months.


End file.
